A complete makeover

How bold design choices can change a room’s look and feel.

Bold wallpaper

“Bold wallpaper choices make a powerful statement. They have the ability to completely transform a room, adding personality, vibrancy, and interest. It becomes a visual anchor that captures attention and sets the tone for the entire room.

“Whether it’s a mural, pattern or unique texture, bold wallpaper provides an opportunity for self-expression and creativity, allowing individuals to really showcase their unique style and taste.” – Loredana Morton, interior designer and owner of Loredana Morton Interiors

Pattern and texture

“Bold design choices hold the power to completely transform the look and feel of a room. The strategic use of bold patterns and textures, as well as incorporating large-scale geometric patterns or textured fabrics, can add depth and visual interest, turning a plain space into a visually dynamic and engaging environment.” – Donna-Lee Smith, marketing manager at Créma Design

Vibrant colour and lighting

“Revamp your living space with bold statements. Begin with a vibrant colour palette featuring deep blues, rich greens, fiery oranges, and bold yellows, making a daring and powerful impact. Accentuate the space by painting accent walls, incorporating bold furniture pieces, and adorning it with vibrant pillows, rugs, unique décor, and oversized artwork.

“Complete the look by creating an enchanting ambience with dramatic lighting fixtures, such as elegant chandeliers exuding charm, contemporary pendant lights, and attention-commanding floor lamps. These choices provide essential illumination and striking design elements, effortlessly turning your room into a stunning and uniquely personalised sanctuary.” – Johann De Waal, marketing manager at KARE Johannesburg

A focal point

“Many home owners have spaces that don’t have a natural focal point (like a fireplace or unique architectural features like giant arched windows) and they are fearful of doing anything too bold that they may tire of. A beautiful interior though is achieved by drawing the eye to different areas of a room and through the contrast created between elements.

“Bold choices are necessary to achieve this, like splurging on interesting lamps or having unique furniture custom-made to add interest and intrigue. We advise clients who are nervous of going too far to experiment with a neutral element first. Something can be bold because of its shape or size, not necessarily just its colour.” – Lucy le Roux, owner of Illuminate Home Staging

Neutral furniture in a particular direction

“Furniture is expensive and continuously replacing large pieces in accordance with trends is the hard way to have a stylish house. We advise clients to buy a base of neutral furniture with clean contemporary lines but then to accessorise with bold pieces to create a distinct look and feel.

“Scatters, pendant lights, artwork, rugs and greenery can really transform a space. Changing these up every few years can allow home owners to feel like their interior is staying contemporary and that they are expressing their unique taste while not breaking the bank by needing to replace costlier items.” – Lucy le Roux, owner of Illuminate Home Staging

The art of black

“Be bold with black! The monochromatic palette of black and white with shades of grey used in this scheme by Olala Interiors offers a study in contrasts. Matt anthracites, glossy blacks, reflective and textured surfaces – all offset with lush plush upholstering of decadent velvets and lit by clever statement lighting.” – Schanè Anderson, founder and CEO of Olala Interiors

Go gorgeously big

“Take design risks with art and play with scale. This home was stylishly and dramatically transformed by the Olala Interiors team. Specially curated, large-scale art, celebrating South African artists, was flawlessly mixed with handcrafted furniture, high-impact, textured wallpapers, bespoke cabinetry and detailing, creating pure sublime drama.” – Schanè Anderson, founder and CEO of Olala Interiors